Going back to the Middle Ages in Bruges

One of course can’t visit Belgium without stopping in the beautiful city of Bruges. It’s also my favorite city in Belgium as it’s just so gorgeous.

Bruges is situated in West-Flanders, which is -shockingly- in the west of Belgium. The entire historic city center is on the UNESCO world heritage list because of its medieval architecture.

Because we arrived in Bruges by train, our day in the city started at the main station of the city. From there, it’s quite a bit to the actual city center but it’s a nice stroll if you go through the ‘Minnewaterpark‘ (Lake of Love Park). For those who only want to see the historic center, you can take a bus to the center as well. Since the weather was nice enough, we went through the park.

Once you’re through the park, you arrive right at the Béguinage. The area there is one of the most beautiful places in Bruges. The Béguinage itself is also worth it to go take a look.

If you follow the canals, you will end up at the Sint-Janshospitaal(park). There you can find the old Sint-Janshospital, a medieval hospital which is now used as a museum.

From the park, you can already see the Church of Our Lady, a church that dates back to the 13th century. With its 122 meter high tower it’s the tallest structure in the city and also the second tallest brickwork tower in the world. Inside you can find the famous sculpture “Madonna and child” by Michelangelo.

When you pass the church and continue along the water, you’ll arrive at Bruges’ most beautiful spot: the Rozenhoedkaai. This is thé postcard spot of Bruges. No matter what time you pass there, it’s always breathtakingly beautiful.

When you’ve managed to tear yourself away from this view (or other tourists have pushed you away), you’re only a short walk away from the Burg Square. On this square you can find the beautiful City Hall, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and many other beautiful buildings.

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

The Basilica of the Holy Blood is a roman-catholic minor basilica which consists of a lower and an upper chapel. It was built in the 12th century and houses the relic of the Holy Blood. Even if you’re not interested in the relic, it’s still worth it to go see the chapel itself. It’s for free, but the treasury has an entrance fee of two euros. When you want to see the relic up close, a little donation is voluntarily.

And then you arrive at the Main Square of Bruges. Here you can find the famous Belfry, the Province Court (which also houses the Historium museum),the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter De Coninck and also many lovely old houses with amazing facades. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful squares of Belgium.

If you want to visit the Belfry, know that there might be quite a queue as there are only 80 people allowed up at the same time. The climb is quite heavy, but the view is worth it. Sadly, you don’t get a great view of the Market Square as you’re bit too high up. Entrance price for -26 years is 6 euros.

Back down, we headed for the Jan Van Eyckplein. Jan Van Eyck was a famous Belgian painter from the fourteenth century. This square used to be the heart of the city center as merchants used to meet there.

To finish our day in Bruges, we took a famous boat tour on the canals. This way we could see most of the sights once more and get more information from a professional. It’s a lovely way to end your visit to the city. The tour we took costed 8 euros for about 40 minutes.

And that was it for Bruges. I simply adore this city and I hope that if anyone of you ever get the chance to visit Belgium, you’ll be able to visit this lovely place.For more information you can visit the official website of Bruges or just contact me.